MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The lead designer of Guild Wars 2 is the latest addition to Amazon’s games development arm. Amazon Game Studios has hired Eric Flannum, who leaves ArenaNet after 10 years at the MMO firm. He will take up the role of creative director, according toGamasutra. Flannum will reportedly be working on …
Read More »Maxis boss Lucy Bradshaw is leaving EA
The boss of whatever is left of Maxis, Lucy Bradshaw, is leaving EA after 23 years. EA’s Maxis unit is being integrated into the company’s mobile division, although a number of Maxis projects including The Sims 4 will be overseen by new Maxis group boss Rachel Franklin, who was formerly …
Read More »Mass Effect writer Drew Karpyshyn returns to BioWare
Mass Effect series writer Drew Karpyshyn has returned to BioWare three and a half years after leaving the studio. Karpyshyn announced in 2012 that he hadretired” from the game industryand that his parting was completely amicable and 100 per cent my decision”. In a newblog post, the writer said he …
Read More »Reports claim Konami’s Fox Engine boss has left
Konami’s worldwide technology director Julien Merceron has reportedly left the company. Merceron oversaw Konami’s Fox Engine, which powers titles such as PES 2016 (out today) and the recent Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The claims first emerged on French site Gameblog but have since apparently been confirmed to …
Read More »Creative director Gary Carr has left Lionhead
Long-term employee Gary Carr has departed Microsoft-owned UK studio Lionhead. GameSpot reports that Carr was until recently headed up an eight person team in charge of new IP development. He had been with the company for 12 years. We can confirm that Gary Carr, who played a lead role in …
Read More »Gameloft Tokyo hit by layoffs
Scores of developers have reportedly been laid off at Gameloft Tokyo. Gamasutrareports that the layoffs have been made just weeks after the studio released its first game, mobile puzzle RPG Magna Memoria. The game’s poor performance is believed to be the cause of these job cuts. Up to 80 employees …
Read More »More job losses at Rovio as 260 positions are axed
Rovio will lay off up to 260 staff as it aims to completely restructure the firm and reinvigorate its falling revenues. The redundancies will apply to the entire organisation. This excludes employees working on the upcoming Angry Birds Movie. Rovio CEO Pekka Rantala said in its current financial condition, the …
Read More »Smedley leaves Daybreak for good
John Smedley has left the studio formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment. It was announced last month that the executive had stepped down from his role of CEO, with the plan apparently being for him to take some time off before transitioning to a different role” within the company. However, …
Read More »Two more join Hocking in Amazon Game Studios exit
Clint Hocking isn’t the only high-profile member of Amazon Game Studios to leave the developer. It was reported yesterday that Hocking, who joined the then growing studio alongside Portal lead Kim Swift in April 2014, has now left the company. GameSpot reports that two other big names have also exited …
Read More »Former EA exec Frank Gibeau joins Zynga
Frank Gibeau, an EA veteran of nearly 25 years, has joined mobile gaming company Zynga. The former EA executive VP has been appointed to the publisher’s board of directors.Gibeau left EA in May this yearafter more than two decades with the company. Zynga has the products, the people and the …
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